


Men in suits

by Lilly0



Category: Arashi (Band), Johnny's Entertainment
Genre: Alternate Universe, Businessmen, Friends With Benefits, M/M, Romance, Workplace, Workplace Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-21
Updated: 2017-01-21
Packaged: 2018-09-19 00:35:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,328
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9409697
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lilly0/pseuds/Lilly0
Summary: Jun is the young heir and boss of Matsumoto & Son Publishing Company. He comes off as stoic and distanced, but secretly he has a lot of things that move him. He just does things his way. He has a casual fling going on with his CEO. And then there is his long-time subordinate and friend… and a new employee, someone he knows from his past… Meanwhile Jun also needs to make sure that the new cultural department of his magazine meets the printing deadline…





	

During his way through the building and to the elevator, he is accompanied by polite greetings and bows. He nods here and there to acknowledge that he hears them and appreciates their effort, before he slips into the elevator and waits for the door to close. Once they do, he leans back with a little sigh. He doesn’t mind the protocol and the way people treat him, he actually thinks sometimes it’s necessary for them to even be a little scared of him, but it is tiring to always come around as stoic and give off the image of never giving up control.  
  
On the second floor the elevator stops, much to his surprise. It’s only used by the COO, which means by himself, and the CEO, which consists of a president and his vice president. It can only mean…  
  
“Good morning.” The guy stumbling into the elevator greets him with a casual bow. He looks a bit out of place in the suit he is wearing, but he has worked his way around it and combines his black trousers with casual shirts and chic jackets, which fits him more than a mere suit.  
  
“Did you take the back entrance of the company again, Ohno-san?” he teases with a smirk.  
  
“I can’t deal with the staring,” Ohno explains, and leans back against the back of the elevator. “And with the way they kiss the floor when I walk past them. You have it easier, Matsumoto-san,” he groans.  
  
“Why is that?”  
  
“They are scared of you. Of you and your firm glance and the way nothing slips your attention, and that basically you are the high boss, but I’m just the vice president, which means they will pester me when there is a problem and they don’t dare to approach you or the president himself.”  
  
“Hm.” Jun frowns, not quite sure how he should bring the news to his co-worker, sub-ordinate, and friend. At college he was basically the only one who was a) not too scared of him and his status and b) didn’t just want to get close to him because of the same reason. In fact the first time they met Jun bumped against him, and Ohno told him in this calm attitude of his, that status and money shouldn’t prevent Jun from apologizing. It’s just natural that he befriended Ohno. He has always had a weird soft spot for people who are able to stand up against him.  
  
“Your _hm_ for sure means trouble,” Ohno sighs.  
  
“Well, you see.” Jun tries to smile to make the shock less real for Ohno. “Today, right in the morning, Shun visited and told me he wants to resign as president and rather focus on going on his world travel to find his spiritual self. His words not mine.”  
  
“WHAT!?” Ohno blurts out, eyes widening in surprise. “He resigned?”  
  
“Yes, which means, you as his vice, are now…”  
  
“Jun,” Ohno interrupts him earnestly, dropping the formalities they stick to when they are in the company. “I’m not fit to be a president. I’m good as a vice because I’m good at my work and good at handling people. But being president makes my position a much higher one. I can’t do Shun’s work. He comes off as extremely serious, just like you, and people respect him.”  
  
“You can do it,” Jun points out calmly. “You can do it, because you have to. And it doesn’t mean you need to stop being yourself. We can’t find anyone to take Shun’s position, you know that, and our employees won’t accept a president we hire out of the blue. They like you because you are calm and listen to them, because you are approachable. It worked well with Shun, because he let you do things your way. But we won’t know if it will stay this way. I need you in this position, Satoshi.”  
  
“You know,” Ohno mumbles when the elevator halts at the department for General Affairs where Ohno needs to head to first thing today as they just recently hired new employees. Also the department for Politics and Economics has a few issues, and he needs to check on them obviously. “Sometimes I want to kick you and your logic in your butts!”  
  
“Oh,” Jun smirks teasingly in a way he knows will annoy Ohno. “Feel free to do so later.”  
  
  
~~~  
  
The first thing Jun does once he reaches his office is to stumble over his new secretary. One of his former secretaries is pregnant and won’t come back for at least two years. Meanwhile, a young, freshly graduated woman takes over her position.  
  
She stands up immediately once she sees him, bowing deeply. “Good morning, Matsumoto-san,” she says, her voice quivering slightly. “Thank you for having me, I hope I won’t disappoint you.”  
  
More formalities. Jun sighs, and takes off his glasses to rub the bridge between his nose and his eyebrows. “Mizuhara Kiko-san was it, am I right?”  
  
She nods, and bows again.  
  
“I’m sure Haru-san introduced you to the work you need to do, during the last months right before she left, didn’t she?” Jun asks calmly. When the woman agrees, Jun nods. “Then I’m sure you’ll be doing fine. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask Satomi-san.” He nods towards his second secretary, sitting at the other side of the room. “She's been working for me for three years now, and knows her way around.”  
  
“Thank you,” Kiko shows him a nervous smile, and Jun decides to save her from her nervousness and retreat to his office. He likes to give young people who just graduated a chance to work for him, even though it sometimes means more work until they adapt to their work schedule and know their way around. But it’s difficult nowadays to find a good job without much experience, so although it’s just a small thing he can do against that problem, he can at least do something.  
  
The morning passes with calls and meetings, Ohno visits him twice with new information, the head of the Publishing Department comes basically flying into his room, in panic because Shun is nowhere to be found, and he needs his okay on the articles of their magazine that’s going to hit printing on Sunday.   
  
Jun decides he can’t shove all the work over to Ohno today, as he needs to have the chance to adapt to his new position too. In a few short words he explains the situation to the man in front of him, and gets up from his desk. “I will pay you a short visit in approximately an hour, Ikuta-san,” he says while the man in front of him looks at him in surprise.   
  
“You will… come to check on the final draft?” The man stutters.   
  
Jun nods and puts his glasses back on to swiftly go through the emails he has received just now. “As I said, I’ll be there in one hour.” He could have gone immediately, but decided it would be better to give the man a chance to prepare the sub-departments for his visit. It’s not usual that the COO himself comes for a visit. “Oh, and Ikuta-san?”   
  
Toma halts at the door, and turns around. “Yes?”  
  
“The department for Culture has recently been restructured.”   
  
“Yes.” Toma nods.   
  
“Are they coping well with the approaching deadline and the new work?” Jun asks, a slight worry in his voice.  
  
Toma smiles reassuringly, once the talk is about his work, he is loosening up immediately. “I transferred one of my best men – Ninomiya – to the Culture Department. His methods might be unusual, but he is one of our best.”  
  
Jun nods, Ninomiya’s good, he knows that. He also knows that everyone talks only the highest of him. “And the new guy?”  
  
“Sakurai? He worked in one of our branches in Kyoto and then in New York. He just recently transferred to Tokyo. I have only heard good things about him.”  
  
Jun tilts his head. “Ohno-san approved of him getting such a high position as the head of department?”  
  
Toma nods. Well, that’s a relief. He knows he can trust Ohno’s instinct.   
  
“There is just one problem…” Toma starts carefully, and Jun’s eyes snap up immediately.   
  
“A problem?” he asks sharply.  
  
Toma sighs, but immediately jumps to an explanation. “The photographers up to now were rather a miss than a hit. We found one young guy though, Aiba Masaki, just yesterday. His portfolio is promising, and I have high expectations for him.”  
  
“Will he deliver?” Jun wants to know with a frown. Of course they could always use a few photos from the archive, but he likes things done properly, and he hates going back to such lousy options.   
  
Toma takes a deep breath. “He has to,” he says firmly. “There is no other option for him than to do well.”  
  
“Fine, thank you for your report.” Jun nods and dismisses him with a polite nod. “I’ll take a look at them later. I want to meet the new employee… Aiba-san is it, right?” It’s not like he doesn’t trust Ohno’s judgement, he does, much more than anyone else’s. In fact he knows that people tend to underestimate Ohno’s abilities because he is calm and looks like he doesn’t mind anything, but Jun knows how good he really is. This time though it’s about a whole new department, and he feels like he has to show his face there to see how the team is doing. They are on a deadline, and the news Toma told him about the new photographer are a little unsettling.  
  
  
~~~  
  
  
It seems like news has spread that Jun personally makes his rounds through the company. Matsumoto & Son Publishing Company has its origins in the 40s when Jun’s great-grandfather and his grandfather started the company. It used to be a small publishing company for a local magazine that went into printing quarterly. Then over the years it grew bigger and bigger, becoming nationally important as a publisher for top-notch magazines covering politics, culture, travel and such. They now even publish a daily newspaper, and have branches in other countries too.   
  
Jun is basically the fourth heir to the enterprise. It was never out of question that he would take the business over from his father, he has been trained to do it since he was little, and it was never something to discuss. He is lucky though, because unlike some of his friends that were also forced to go on a chosen path – such as Shu who just set himself free today –, Jun whole-heartedly loves his profession and his job.   
  
He takes the elevator at the backside of the company not wanting to startle anyone and making every division panic by walking through the front part. He pays a visit to Ohno’s office first though, mainly because he wants to talk to someone who is not bowing in front of him, and have lunch with him.  
  
“So that’s why there is such a fuss,” Ohno snorts in an unusually teasing manner. “The prince himself is giving his honours to the infantry.”  
  
Jun rolls his eyes at that silly remark. He loosens his tie a little and opens the button of his shirt with a sigh. “Quick lunch?” he asks without reacting to Ohno’s teasing.  
  
His friend lets out a chuckle and a sigh at once, and apparently he decides to take it from the fun side. “Always so serious,” he says with a grin. “Lunch, huh? Depends on your definition of lunch.”  
  
Jun is a little surprised by Ohno’s sudden change of mood and approach, but then… why not? They normally spare any extracurricular activities as they used to call it in college for at home, but the mere imagination of doing it right here at their work place during their lunch break sounds so wicked and forbidden that his heart makes an unexpected leap. He loosens his tie further, waiting for Ohno to approach him. With deft fingers his friend grabs him by his now lose tie and smashes their lips together.   
  
“Room locked?” Jun manages to breathe out between Ohno’s hungry kisses. Ohno just chuckles and presses him against the door, and then there it is, the click of the lock being turned, and Jun knows he can feel at ease and just go for whatever Ohno feels like doing. When you are in the lead for almost everything you do, and for every part in your life, it’s nice to give up this lead here and there, and just let yourself fall.  
  
Ohno takes his face between his hands and places a sudden soft kiss on his cheek, and on his forehead. “Satoshi,” Jun mumbles softly, his heart making an unexpected jump by the soft touch of Ohno’s fingers against his cheeks.   
  
“Yes?” Ohno whispers while moving his lips over Jun’s cheek. “Tell me what you want.”  
  
He is okay with anything, as long as it’s Ohno. “I’m all yours,” Jun says, and tries to make it sound filthy rather than cheesy, because truth is, deep in his heart he is. He has always had a crush on his best friend. It’s one-sided, he knows that, because no matter what they do, it’s just sex, nothing more. They are friends who sometimes do it with each other.  
  
“Is that so?” Ohno asks with a snicker, and slides down on his knees. “Then I’ll do as I please,” he says softly, fingers tugging Jun’s shirt out of his trousers and sneaking beneath it to touch Jun’s hips and chest. With his teeth he opens the buttons of Jun’s trousers skilfully and pulls them down.   
  
Is he going to…? He is… Jun closes his eyes, leaning his head against the door, and biting down on the knuckles of his right hand to tone down the noise as much as possible. He can feel Ohno’s lips teasing the soft flesh of his already half-hard erection with little kisses and licks, and Jun’s free hand dives down to tug at Ohno’s hair slightly.  
  
“Impatient.” Ohno teases. “Impatient. Jun-chan is always impatient.”  
  
“Jun-chan needs to go back to work in fifteen minutes,” Jun says with a low voice in return, his eyebrows furrowing slightly. “So if Satoshi still wants to fuck Jun-chan in time, he better hurries.”  
  
It draws a chuckle from Ohno. “Jun-chan is a smart man,” he muses. “Because Satoshi surely wants to have him bent over his desk in two minutes.”  
  
Jun pulls an eyebrow up. “You think you really can manage to have a quickie in less than fifteen minutes?”  
  
“Yes, hence less talking, more action,” Ohno answers, and before Jun can even react or complain or say something, Ohno’s lips are tightly around his cock, taking it all in at once, and sucking him immediately. After the little teasing from before, Ohno’s sudden strong ministrations come as such a surprise that Jun gasps, his fingers moving back from Ohno’s hair and grasping the closed doorknob, while he bites down on his other hand again. All he can hear and feel for now are the low pants, the slicking sounds Ohno’s mouth makes, and the little gasps escaping his mouth. His whole body tingles by the way he suppresses his moans, and concentrates even more on the sensation around his cock, and he wonders why they never had the idea before to do it in their office. It’s just a whole new thrill.   
  
Ohno has his lips closed tightly around his cock, moving his head to make as much friction as possible. Before Jun can come though, he pulls away, ignoring the glare Jun sends him. “And they call me the tease,” Jun half complains, half whines.  
  
“I still want you over my table,” Ohno whispers once he is up his feet again and tugs Jun with him, away from the door. “And I swear I’ll make you come in my hand.”  
  
“Hm,” Jun pretends to be unconvinced.  
  
“I’ll visit you later tonight, at home, and blow you properly,” Ohno points out, and Jun likes it how desperate he sounds and how much he seems to want him now. It gives him the last push his pride needed and decides to give all of himself to Ohno in this moment.  
  
“Fine then,” Jun whispers seductively, while he bites into Ohno’s earlobe. “I’m all yours today. Just do as you please.”  
  
His words work miracles on Ohno, because his eyes snap open all of a sudden, and he lets out a cute little hiss, biting down on his lips.   
  
“Where do you want me?” Jun continues the teasing. “Bent over the desk?”  
  
When Ohno nods, Jun brushes with his arms over Ohno’s desk, making several sheets of paper and pens and folders drop down. He reaches for one of the drawers, glad that he knows his ways around Ohno’s office and takes out the little emergency bottle of lube and a package with condoms. “I’m not going to prepare myself,” he says as he throws the item towards Ohno, and grins when Ohno raises an eyebrow. Then he pushes his pants down further, bending over Ohno’s desk. It doesn’t take his friend even five seconds to approach him, a hand suddenly resting on his back. “Oh Jun,” Ohno whispers and plants a kiss on his neck. “I don’t know how you do it, but…” his lips trail over Jun’s cheek from behind, while he can feel two slicked up fingers against his entrance, probing teasingly. “It’s impossible to resist you.”  
  
“Nine minutes,” Jun says because he fears his voice will betray him when he answers Ohno now, and he doesn’t need him to know just how happy he feels about his attention.   
  
Ohno chuckles, not saying anything anymore, but Jun can soon feel his fingers pressing inside him, preparing him skilfully but without wasting any time. Ohno curls his fingers slightly, brushing against Jun’s sensitive spot and making him hiss into his hand, teeth scratching against his knuckles.   
  
He taps against the table, signalling that he is alright, glad that they already have this little code, and Ohno grasps his hips, and then there it is… the slight press against his entrance, the burning sensation of being stretched by Ohno’s cock. Jun pants into his forearm while he adjusts to the intrusion. “Too fast,” Ohno muses with a hint of guilt in his voice. “A quickie is-“  
  
“Satoshi, it’s fine,” Jun chuckles. His head spins lightly by the endorphin rush and he clenches around Ohno’s dick almost desperately. To his joy Ohno gasps at that, and clasps his fingers into his sides to remain his balance. He takes the invitation though, gladly, and starts pushing into Jun relentlessly, with every passing second trying harder to push them to the hilt. Jun’s head spins even further by the sensation flooding him, and then there is Ohno’s hand around his neglected cock again, pushing him towards his orgasm. Ohno brushes the thumb over the sensitive tip, and pushes right against Jun’s spot a few times, and it’s all Jun needs to come over Ohno’s hand. He bites into his fingers to keep his moans to himself, only panting heavily, his heart racing.   
  
He is still coming down from his orgasm and from the excitement of having done something that he last time did in college, when Ohno comes too.   
  
They only allow themselves a few seconds of recovery before they swiftly clean themselves up; and before Ohno’s secretary can knock at his door to ask for a few documents Ohno has already gathered everything from the floor, and they both look neat and serious again. “Thank you for sacrificing your lunch break for a meeting,” Jun says dryly with a short nod of his head, before he walks past the secretary.   
  
Ohno bows deeply. “I’m honoured by your visit,” he says calmly. And. “Anytime.”  
  
  
~~~  
  
  
Jun is still wondering if he should visit the Public Relations Department first, because they asked him to go through a few applicants, or if he should visit the new department of Culture immediately. It’s then that he sees a tall guy, clad in Capri trousers and a huge sweater, totally out of place look-wise, and a rather well-known figure which can only be Ninomiya. He has seen Ninomiya a few times already, and it still strikes him as odd that someone so tiny can be so fierce. Now Ninomiya seems to be aggravated though, eyebrows scrunched together, and his lips are pressed against each other tightly. Jun frowns slightly. Are these two arguing? Here!? Right in the company? It’s something Jun definitely can’t tolerate.   
  
“Just get a grip,” Ninomiya huffs. “We’ve a deadline approaching and suddenly you tell me you are in a fucking creative crisis, Aiba-san!?”  
  
So-said Aiba-san winces a bit. “I don’t mean to give you or Sakurai-san any trouble, but I’m really not suited for this.”  
  
“And this just came to your mind now?” Ninomiya grunts. “Listen I don’t care if you are suited for this or not. You are the third guy we hired, all the others left us hanging. It’s not a matter of can… you HAVE to do this.”  
  
“But I’m not good enough,” Aiba-san argues. “Really, I don’t even get why Ikuta-san hired me… I…”  
  
Jun has actually heard enough and is ready to intervene and just jump in between the guys and tell them to carry their petty fight to another place, and to go back to work, but his feet feel wobbly all of a sudden. And while he clings to the wall of the corridor, he decides to deal with these guys later, and instead take the elevator up to the cafeteria and buy himself at least a coffee. He feels a bit shaky on his feet, and not only because of his little intermezzo with Ohno. Stupid change of season, always brings him headaches and problems with his blood circulation.   
  
And now he also has to deal with a new department that doesn’t get along with each other, and a new guy with zero confidence, who won’t be able to deliver a single pic. Just awesome.   
  
Before the doors of the elevator close completely, he can hear someone rushing towards them, and hitting the open-button. It’s… He has no idea who it is, but the guy seems familiar. He has that round-shaped face, huge eyes, and full lips. Jun frowns. He knows him… he…  
  
“Jun-san?” the guy asks in mere disbelief, staring at him like he just saw a ghost. “Or… no… do you just look similar? You… you don’t look alike, but the moles, and…”  
  
“My name certainly is Jun,” Jun answers calmly. “Who are you if I may ask?”  
  
The guy’s eyes go wide. “Can’t you remember anymore, Macchan? I used to change your diapers~”  
  
Jun blinks for a moment, scanning the guy’s face once more. He has a round face, but still there are cheekbones that give his face a beautiful shape, his eyes are slightly round, and he gives off a serious aura. “Sho-san?” he asks in disbelief. “Is it really you?”  
  
“Yes!” Sho exclaims, his serious face lighting up a bit. “Unbelievable that we meet here. How long has it been?”  
  
Jun can’t help a smile. “15 years? Or 20?”  
  
Sho lets out a chuckle. “Unbelievable how old we became.” He presses the button to the 8th floor. “To believe I once watched Sailor Moon with you.”  
  
Jun snorts. “You mean: To believe that you used an innocent kid so that you could watch Sailor Moon?”  
  
“I did not…” Sho pauses, and lets out a sigh. “Fine,” he admits with a twinkle. “Maybe I did. I had such a weakness for magical girl series.”   
  
Jun chuckles. He can’t help grinning at this whole conversation. He is indeed happy to see Sho, but when he thinks about Sho he remembers a slightly rebellious, easily irritated kid, not a rather serious yet friendly guy who can crack silly jokes. It’s a nice surprise actually.   
  
“I missed you when we moved away,” Sho muses all of a sudden, and it comes so unexpected that Jun blushes a bit.  
  
He regains his balance quickly though and smiles. “Really? I’ve only heard from an uncle who worked with your father that you became a rebellious guy with a piercing, dyed hair and a leather jacket, and with approximately 50 love-affairs at once.”   
  
Sho blinks in surprise at that blunt answer, blushing deeply. “It was a phase!” he argues.   
  
Jun eyes the man in front of him with a thoughtful expression. He remembers Sho almost too well, he was the neighbourhood kid, the boy of a wealthy politician. Sho was pretty much the cliché of a rich, angry kid who didn’t get enough attention from his parents, who crumbled under too much pressure, having to deal with a path that was already set for him without being asked. Unlike Jun’s kind-hearted mother and his fun and humorous father, Sho’s parents were pretty strict and wanted their son to be exactly like they imagined him to be. Not even slightly apart from that image they had of Sho. At that time when they were both kids, Sho a few years older than him, he came babysitting sometimes, and later helped Jun with his studies. It wasn’t always easy, as Sho was getting easily irritated and annoyed, and Jun was insecure and nervous back then. Sho was prickly like a cactus.   
  
Later on, when Sho had to move away with his parents, Jun understood though that a lot of Sho’s short-tempered behaviour came from all the problems and fears he probably had to lock inside him. Sometimes Sho would be cruel, sometimes nice, but still… Jun was basically crushed when Sho had to move away.   
  
He smiles at his bittersweet memories. “You promised me you would write,” he teases, remembering how Sho, unusually kind and soft on that day, swore to him he would write to him daily – a promise which of course he couldn’t keep up to.  
  
Sho blinks a few times, apparently not sure if Jun is being serious or not. When Jun allows his lips to tug a little to show his amusement, Sho sighs. “Jun-san,” he sighs. “You were so much easier to handle when you were a shy kid. Guess time changed us both, didn’t it?” He takes in Jun’s form, obviously scanning him from head to toe. “So, what are you doing here?” he asks interested. “Judging by your suit, you are for sure working here.”  
  
“Hm,” Jun tries hard not to blush. What should he say now? That he owns the company? Back then, when he was still meeting Sho regularly, he was wearing his mother’s name, because his parents wanted to protect him from the fuss it would make to be the Matsumoto-kid. It probably would be the most mature thing to tell Sho the truth, but he just… can’t bring himself to say it. Mainly because Sho addressed him so informally, and nowadays it’s a rarity for Jun to be addressed like that. He has always had a little weakness for Sho, defending him against Sho’s parents when they scolded him for doing something stupid by telling them how much Sho always helped him study and how awesome and smart he is. Even now he still feels how his stomach gets warm all of a sudden. Sure, he is not that tiny, cute and shy kid anymore, and Sho is not the angry, misunderstood teenager, but a tiny part of these personalities probably lingers somewhere deep in their minds, hidden in their memories. And painful or not, they are precious.  
  
He is still wondering what to answer when the beeping of the elevator tells him that he has reached his destined floor. “I need to get off,” he says casually.  
  
“Say, Jun-san,” Sho asks before he can go. “Why don’t we go for a drink? To catch up a bit? How about today after work?”  
  
Jun can’t help a smile. It sounds so alluring, and he almost said yes immediately. But he has a few things to do, and he assumes Sho won’t be happy with his plans. “Sho-san,” Jun says earnestly. “Sunday.”  
  
“Sunday?” Sho asks in surprise.  
  
“Yes, if in four days, you still want to meet me, drop by at my apartment on Sunday evening. I’ll send you my address.”  
  
Before Sho can possibly dig further or ask more questions – as the frown on his face indicates he would like to know a few things – Jun turns around and takes his leave. The lady at the entrance of the cafeteria bows politely towards him, and Jun can almost feel Sho’s eyes pinned to his back.   
  
  
~~~  
  
Sho is still recovering from this surprise meeting. How long has it been? He almost didn’t recognize Jun. He grew so much. His features, his appearance, his whole being was different. Only when Jun smiled and blushed during their talk something of the old Jun still shimmered through. Still, it makes him so happy to have met his oldest friend. Back then Jun was his only friend, his only support, sticking to him even when Sho wasn’t always nice.   
  
When Sho comes back to the office from his short appointment with Ikuta-san, he gets basically knocked over by a very worried Nino and a very nervous Aiba, and a giddy and giggly Mirei, who he has seen only annoyed and earnest up to now. “What is it?” he asks in confusion.   
  
“Matsumoto-san!” Nino breaths out. “Half an hour. Meeting. Bad.”  
  
Sho blinks, trying to form a whole, coherent sentence out of the pieces of information Nino just gave him. Matsumoto-san is the boss and owner of the company. What is he going to do in half an hour? “Do we need to go to a meeting with the boss?” Sho asks.  
  
“Worse,” Nino says with a dramatic sigh. “He is coming down here in half an hour. For a visit. That’s bad. He never goes through the hassle to go to the departments in person. I guess he knows it drives everyone nuts if he comes by. So…”  
  
“He has something to tell us,” Sho concludes. “Or wants to check on us. Or has heard something bad about us.”  
  
“Worst case scenario is… it’s all three of them,” Nino points out heartlessly. He seems to slowly recover from the shock and go back to his snarky, but also firm self. “We need to prepare. Sakurai-san, what should we do?”  
  
Sho only takes a few seconds. This is his job, he is their teamleader, he needs to give off a vibe of security and confidence. “Get everything together we prepared for the next issue,” Sho tells Nino. “Everything we have!”   
  
“Aiba-san,” he continues. “You have a few samples of your photography, don’t you? Get them ready to show to Matsumoto-san.”  
  
“But they aren’t good enough,” Aiba argues weakly.  
  
Sho tries not to sigh. He gets Aiba’s problem, really, he was basically picked by Ikuta-san on a whim, because he liked what he posted on his Tumblr profile and on Pinterest. But to work on an actual job for a top-notch company overstrains him now. “It doesn’t matter if they are good or not,” he says calmly. “We need them. And Kiritani-san-”  
  
“I’m going to check on my make-up,” she interrupts him immediately.  
  
“Eh? What for?”  
  
She rolls her eyes in obvious amusement. “To look good for Matsumoto-san of course.”  
  
Sho blinks in confusion, eyeing the young woman in front of him. She is pretty and young, why would she be interested in Matsumoto? To his surprise though Nino doesn’t seem to be surprised at her statement. “What for?” he finally dares to ask. “I mean, he is above 80 already. Isn’t it creepy to have a crush on him?”  
  
Mirei looks at him like he has lost his mind, while Nino’s lips tug slightly. “Not the senior-boss.” Nino finally has mercy with Sho and his confusion, and goes to explain the situation. “The company is led by his son for a few years already. He is only a bit over 30 years old, and you could say, he has the looks.”  
  
Sho blinks for a few moments, several questions circling in his head, but the most persistent one is… He turns to Mirei. “Does looking good really have first priority now?”  
  
“Yes,” she answers calmly. “Because we most likely won’t win with our knowledge and our work. We suck.”  
  
“Yeah,” Nino agrees. “She’s right. This department sucks. And I hate that it does. I have a reputation to loose after all! I hate that we aren’t able to do anything.”  
  
Sho lets out a little sigh. “I’m sorry, guys, I know I’m your department leader. I should have organized everything better.”  
  
“Not your fault,” Aiba intervenes. “After all, we all know that I can’t handle the pressure and this job. I don’t think I have any talent for this.”  
  
“You guys drown in self-pity,” Mirei huffs. “I will meanwhile do something useful and do my hair. That’s probably more than anything you guys did during the last days.”  
  
“Maybe I should do my hair too,” Nino agrees much to Sho’s dismay. He has just come to this company, he knows he is good at his job, but there are several problems in this case. He is new, while Nino has been a well-known employee for a while already, and some might think he should have gotten Sho’s position. Without Nino at his side, pulling at the same string, he won’t be able to get this here started. Then, it’s a new department, none of them have worked together before, and they have nothing to get their inspiration from or rely on, because they have to do this issue all new, for the first time. Mirei seems to despise them with all she has, and Aiba has zero confidence. Sho has seen some of his work that he posted online. He has it, he knows he has it, but Aiba doesn’t know, and whatever he photographs now lacks the spark he has shown in his private photos. The deadline is on Saturday night. On Sunday it will go to print, and… that’s the only fucking chance they have to-  
  
“I hope I don’t interrupt anything,” a voice can be heard behind them.   
  
Mirei spins around, her eyes widened in shock. Aiba looks terrified, and Nino just downright nervous. When Sho turns his head, the first thing that comes to his mind is: NO FUCKING WAY!? He sees a face with prominent cheekbones, thick eyebrows, and dark eyes, and… it’s impossible! It can’t be… his little, shy Jun is the Matsumoto heir?   
  
So that’s why his parents always listened to Jun. Whenever he defended Sho when his parents were mad at him, they would suddenly let the issue go. They probably knew very well who that lanky weird kid was. Sho didn’t though.  
  
“Not at all, Sir,” Nino regains his composure first, and goes for a professional smile. He looks believable, but apparently Jun looks through it immediately.  
  
“You don’t have anything at all, have you?” he says dryly. There is nothing in his eyes that indicates if he takes it with humour or if he is angry or…  
  
“We do have something… eh Matsumoto-san,” Sho points out, not sure how to address Jun, but he decides he should probably stay formal. Jun didn’t even show a sign that he knows who he is. “Ninomiya-san, please show Matsumoto-san what we already produced.”  
  
Nino nods, and applies to his wish immediately. He is eternally thankful that the guy knows his way around, and can be professional, and focused. Jun watches them quietly while they show him everything, he doesn’t nod though or give any sign of appreciation or interest. When they are finished, he lets out a sigh. “You don’t have anything. We can’t use any of that,” he says. Before Sho can even argue – annoyed because what they have isn’t even half as bad as Jun makes it sound – Jun stops him. “Listen, I can’t bother with a department that doesn’t get its act together. I need you to give me not only a good but a perfect spree for the cultural part of the magazine until Saturday. I want it to have good photos and an interesting article, how you achieve that… to be honest, I don’t care how you do it. Just do it! If you don’t have a perfect article by Saturday, I’ll dissolve this department.”  
  
Mirei is pale all of a sudden, probably a mirror to his own reflection, Sho thinks. Dissolving a department because they suck so much? It can’t happen! Jun can’t do that. This apartment has only started existing two weeks ago – this isn’t even a proper chance! “Excuse me, Sir,” Sho intervenes and frowns. “But-“  
  
“No,” Jun huffs and shakes his head, eyes glinting dangerously in a way that Sho has never seen before on Jun. Is that really the same guy he used to hang out with as a kid and watched My Little Pony with!? “I don’t want to hear any excuses. Just do your job properly – like everyone else in the company! This here-” He points at the folder in Nino’s hands. “- isn’t a proper job. My two secretaries would have done it better!” He turns to leave, not giving any of them a chance to even react. “Oh, and before I forget.” Jun turns around and inspects Aiba from head to toe. “Aiba-san, up to now I always trusted Ikuta-san’s judgement, but if you don’t manage to deliver by Saturday, I’ll cancel our contract. Having no confidence isn’t an excuse for not even trying and having no passion for this job!”  
  
With that Jun disappears again, nodding slightly at the people that greet him on his way to the elevator. Sho, and the rest of the tiny department, are stunned for a few moments, just standing there, not able to say anything. Then Sho decides to simply go for it, before he changes his mind or loses his confidence, he hurries after Jun. Before the elevator door closes, he presses the button repeatedly. Jun raises his eyebrows when he sees him. “Is there anything else?” he asks calmly, and Sho has to hold back not to jump into his face. What the hell is he thinking?  
  
“What was that for?” Sho hisses quietly. “What the hell is wrong with you? I get that you are mad, but this is too much. Was it really necessary to talk to them like that?”  
  
Jun looks at him for a long while, something in his eyes flickers, and Sho isn’t quite sure what it means. “What is necessary?” Jun finally asks calmly before he presses the button to close the door. “Yes.”   
  
Sho feels like the biggest failure in the universe. Okay, maybe it was wrong to run after Jun, and yell at him, because he doesn’t know this Jun, and he seems pretty unpredictable. On top of that he didn’t have any success at all, he couldn’t do anything for his team.   
  
“And?” Nino asks curiously when he returns. “Were you able to achieve something?”  
  
Sho shakes his head. “Sorry.”  
  
They are all quiet again, until it’s out of all Aiba who suddenly blurts out a: “But I AM trying! What a horrible thing to say!!” He frowns, suddenly looking pissed much to Sho’s surprise. “He could have just said that my pics are bad, but he said I give it no effort!”  
  
“God, was he pissed,” Nino stutters. “He just came here to yell at us.”  
  
“The other departments were probably talking a lot about us,” Mirei admits quietly. “He has to have heard something before. How embarrassing.”   
  
“He basically threatened to throw us in front of the hungry crocodiles,” Nino grumbles. “If we fail.”  
  
“We can’t fail,” Sho suddenly says. He has finally woken up from his shock again, his passive attitude making place for a firm and angry one. “If Matsumoto-san waltzes down to us, only to make us feel bad and threatens us with an ultimatum, we’ll show him how good we are!” He looks at the other three firmly. “The fact that we failed so badly at the inspection is also my fault! Actually it’s mostly my fault, because I was assigned to be your teamleader, and I did horribly up to now. But I won’t allow us to slack off now! We’ll show the president what we are made out of. He will regret looking down on us.” He raises his fist theatrically, not minding if the others find it silly or not. “Who is with me?”  
  
“Me!” Mirei says much to his surprise, and raises her fist as well. “I’m not leaving you or the department hanging. I want to restore and keep my dignity. Maybe that’s not the most noble reason to work hard, but who cares as long as it motivates me.”  
  
Nino looks at Sho for a while, then he nods and raises his fist. “If you show such a strong and straight-forward attitude, I’ll follow you. I know my ways around, so I’m sure I can provide you with good help.”  
  
They all turn to Aiba, and Sho is ready to speak a few encouraging words to him, but Aiba only punches the air and huffs. “Of course I’m going give my all! I want to show that ass that I’m not a lazy half-assed idiot! Passion is all I have!”  
  
“Okay,” Sho claps his hands. “Fieldtrip! We are going to the cosy cafeteria down the street. Take all important documents with you!”  
  
  
~~~  
  
  
One hour later each of them has a warm, steaming cup of coffee or tea in front of them, and Sho has ordered cake for them all. They went through all their ideas and what they already produced.  
  
“I hate to admit it,” Mirei muses. “But Matsumoto-san is right, what we have is not really great.”  
  
Nino nods. “Man, I don’t want to do something half-assed and boring. You know, culture has so many interesting topics. Why does it always have to be a museum or a vernissage? L’Arc~en~Ciel is going to have a collab with Sony for their Virtual Reality glasses soon. I know it’s also technology, but with a well-known band it’s also-“  
  
“Yes!” Sho exclaims all of a sudden. And when Nino blinks, he grins. “Why didn’t you say that earlier? We are going to cover that event!”  
  
“But…” Nino blinks. “Aren’t we supposed to… you know… go the classic route?”  
  
“Who said that?” Sho wants to know.  
  
“But won’t that be a risk?” Aiba asks.   
  
Sho raises his eyebrows. “What do we have to lose?”   
  
“Right,” Nino grins. “All in, I’d say!”  
  
“Great,” Sho smiles. “Ninomiya-san, please get all the information about the event, I’ll make the necessary calls. Aiba-san, do you know anything about 3D-reality and how to portrait it?”  
  
“Not yet,” Aiba smirks, suddenly thrice as motivated as a few hours ago. “But give me two hours.”  
  
“Who knows,” Mirei jokes. “We might even have fun!”

 

~~~  
  
“Man, you look tired,” Ohno jokes when they go for a drink after work. “So how’s the Cultural Department doing?” he wants to know.  
  
Jun makes a dismissive gesture with his hand. “Don’t want to talk about it.” That’s actually true, he has no wish whatsoever to think about these four people or what they are doing or if they are going to have anything on Saturday. It also bothers him to no end that out of all Sho had to make his return into his life right at that moment. It’s just so… not the right timing. He just wishes it wouldn't have been necessary to yell at them like that. Now he needs to drown his guilt in sake.  
  
“Did you meet a ghost or what?” Ohno asks curiously.   
  
“Someone from my past,” Jun admits. “When I was still awkward and tiny, and shy.” He sighs.   
  
“Looks good?”  
  
“Damn, yes,” Jun muses and empties a glass of tequila. “I wished we would have met at a different place, without being co-workers and boss and subordinate. I would have totally hit on him.”  
  
“Hm,” Ohno hums. “What’s his name?”  
  
“Sakurai Sho.”  
  
“OH!” Ohno exclaims. “THAT Sho-san?” he asks curiously, and Jun knows that he is not talking about the new employee Sho-san but about the many stories he told him about Sho when they were hanging out. Childhood friend Sho. “That’s your chance!” he chirps.  
  
Jun looks at Ohno for a while. He should feel bothered by these words, he thinks, after all he's been having this little secret crush on Ohno for a while already, but… something inside his stomach flutters indeed, just not out of anger or disappointment, but out of warm feelings of his memory.  
  
“Oh,” Ohno looks up and waves. “Look who is coming!”  
  
“If it’s Oguri, tell him I’m mad,” Jun mumbles and angles for his painkillers.   
  
“I’m not Oguri-san,” a voice can be heard right next to him, and Jun jumps slightly. “Damn it, Nino, don’t sneak up to me like that.”  
  
“Sneak?” Nino grins. “Satoshi-san already told you that someone is coming. That’s not sneaking, you know. Besides I told you last week that I would come.”  
  
“Hm,” Jun sits up a bit and checks the guy next to him. He's known Nino since High School, and he always had a weak spot for this snarky brat. “Thought you changed your mind,” he says casually.  
  
“Why should I?” Jun blinks in surprise, taken aback by Nino’s approach. Nino however grins. “We’ll show you, just so you know,” he promises with a teasing smile. “I’m going to bet with your cranky self that we are going to be so awesome, that you’ll say we are.”  
  
“I’m never going to say something like that,” Jun points out, stunned by the fact that Nino still trusts him.  
  
“That’s the bet,” Nino smirks. “If I win you’ll treat me to some awesome dinner. Nothing cheap, and I want that new Monster Hunter game.”  
  
“Fine,” Jun agrees, because he can never deny Nino anything. “Have you already eaten?”  
  
“Just cake.”   
  
“Cake!?” Jun huffs. “That’s not a balanced nutrition. You know that your mother calls me once a week just to ask me if you are healthy and well, right?”   
  
Ohno laughs, while Nino blushes in shock. “She doesn’t.”  
  
“Hell, yes, she does!” Jun puts some money on the table, and grabs Nino’s arm. “We are going to my place and have dinner. You coming too, Satoshi?”  
  
Ohno shakes his head. “I’m still going to meet someone.”  
  
Jun nods, not in the mood to feel bothered by Ohno having a date. He is on a mission after all… namely to force something healthy down Nino’s throat.  
  
~~~  
  
“You do know that I’m not eating that,” Nino points out when Jun starts putting a lot of cabbage into the soup. “It’s green.”  
  
“I promise you a reward if you do,” Jun points out.  
  
“Yeah, but if the reward doesn’t include my dick and yours, I’m not going to accept it.”   
  
Jun rolls his eyes, and chuckles. “Fine,” he says. “Then your reward will include my dick. Happy now?”  
  
Nino grins. “Well, look at that! Someone can finally read the mood.”  
  
“Yes,” Jun answers sweetly. “But only when someone else eats his dinner first.”  
  
Nino laughs, but does what Jun tells him nevertheless. He eats the soup and doesn’t even complain. Then he heads to the bathroom to take a bath and brush his teeth. When he is back, he wraps his arms around Jun’s neck. “Now,” he whispers. “Is time for your promise.”  
  
“You really need to get yourself a lover soon,” Jun points out dryly and pushes Nino towards his sofa. He has prepared everything already, a bottle of lube and a package with condoms on the sofa table. Glad that Nino didn’t bother to put on his clothes, he goes down to business immediately, placing little kisses all over his body, until he reaches his dick.   
  
“God, yes, J,” Nino moans when he starts licking the sensitive flesh, Nino’s cock jerking under his ministrations, and he wraps his lips around it to suck him tightly.  
  
It’s not that Jun has many sex partners. Sometimes he lets off steam with Ohno, a casual thing, or with Nino. Not even that regularly, just when they feel like it. With Nino it’s the most relaxed, because he knows Nino doesn’t expect anything from him, except good sex. He wants it fast and without too much foreplay, and he likes Jun as a friend the way he is. When they have a real partner, they won’t sleep with each other anymore, just hang out as friends.  
  
They both drank a few glasses too much wine, and none of them bothers much to go too slowly. No matter how messy it’s going to be. Jun puts some lube on his fingers and starts preparing Nino swiftly while still sucking him until he can feel him approaching his orgasm. Only then he pulls back, unwrapping one package of condoms and slipping one over his dick. He pushes Nino’s legs apart, kneeling in between them. Nino nods and wraps his arms around Jun’s neck, and it’s just the invitation he needed. Jun carefully pushes into Nino, but Nino knows what he wants and how he wants it, and wraps his legs around Jun to pull him closer. “Too slowly,” he complains with a smirk. “You are always too careful.”  
  
“Don’t want to hurt you,” Jun mumbles and kisses Nino’s temples.  
  
Nino grins. “Do I look hurt?”  
  
Jun chuckles and speeds up his movements, his hips slapping against Nino’s backside while he pushes into him with fast movements. He takes his neglected cock into his hands too, wrapping his fingers around it and pumping it at the same speed.   
  
Nino moans out all kinds of insults, and Jun’s name, and Jun’s name combined with insults. And Jun thinks he is the only one who can do something like that and still be hot and charming. He makes Nino come first, before he concentrates on his own erection, pushing into Nino with uncontrolled movements, before he feels the white wave of bliss washing over him.   
  
He drops down on top of Nino, taking some time to recover and enjoying the way Nino brushes through his hair and kisses his nose. Then he pulls out of him carefully, lying down at the tiny space on the sofa next to Nino.   
  
“We really need to find partners for ourselves soon,” Nino jokes tiredly. “Though I’ll miss your cooking then.”  
  
“Hm,” Jun hums. “I can always cook for you, with or without a different lover, but I can’t promise you any rewards then.”  
  
Nino chuckles.   
  
“You know,” Jun continues quietly. “I thought you’d be fuming.”  
  
“I know you are nice, Jun,” Nino says surprisingly direct. “And caring.”  
  
“Still…”  
  
“To be honest, I have my own feelings about this department and the people there,” Nino says calmly. “And you have yours. They might not be the same. We don’t need to talk about it. You are my boss in the company, but outside we are friends, even when you were scary and angry at a meeting.”  
  
Jun nods. It’s enough of an explanation. He doesn’t need to hear more. He is just relieved that Nino is still the same as before.  
  
  
~~~  
  
  
It can’t be. It just can’t be. The last person he wanted to meet right now is Jun, and who does he share an elevator ride with… again… of course his old childhood friend. It would be silly not to enter the elevator though, he is not a little kid any more, and it doesn’t matter that Jun is his boss, and is super-scary and just put them under so much pressure recently. It also doesn’t matter that Sho used to hold his hand when they were kids so that he wouldn’t be afraid in the dark. This Jun is so different to the Jun he knew. He isn’t shy anymore, not awkward, not nervous. He is so stoic, leaning against the wall of the elevator while skimming through a newspaper only greeting him with a faint nod.   
  
He really wants to grab his collar and yell at him, although he isn’t quite sure what exactly pisses him off. Of course the fact that he put such an ultimatum on them, but at the same time something about Jun irks him.   
  
He is skimming through his newspaper now, frowning slightly. Sho sighs inwardly. It’s his little Macchan, even now. Who is he kidding? He is so good-looking, it’s unbelievable. How did it happen that he changed that much? He has these dark, intense eyes now, and strong cheekbones, and luscious lips… and…  
  
Sho blushes slightly at his own thoughts. To distract himself, he coughs and decides to concentrate on his anger instead. “Just so you know,” he breaks the silence with a grumpy look at Jun. “We are so going to kick your ass by being awesome.”  
  
“Hm,” Jun seems to be unaffected by his words, still pretty indifferent. “Is that so?”  
  
Oh my god, he doesn’t even listen! Sho takes a step closer to Jun, grabbing his arm to make him look into his face. “We will be awesome!” he huffs.  
  
Jun sighs slightly, and puts his newspaper away. “Sakurai-san,” he says with a frown. “I hope for you that you will be as good as you promise to be, but up to now it’s just an empty promise. I-“  
  
Sho decides he has enough of these silly arguments. He has met Jun previously in the elevator when he didn’t know who he was, and Jun was nice, and teasy there, nothing like he is now. Still different than before, but something of the old Jun was showing through.   
  
Sho grabs his collar, and for a moment Jun almost looks startled, then Sho surges forward and smashes their lips together, kissing him with all he has. Jun gasps in shock, and Sho pulls back, suddenly realizing what he has done. God, he is going to be kicked out and fired and he can’t do anything for his team and-  
  
Jun reaches out his arm, but instead of hitting Sho as he expected, he hits the stop button of the elevator. Then he grabs Sho’s arm and pulls him forward again, this time it’s him initiating the kiss. Sho doesn’t need any more invitation, he grabs Jun’s face and pulls him even closer, feeling one of Jun’s arms around his body and the other pressing against the wall of the elevator to hold them upright.   
  
“I hate you,” Sho mumbles between the kisses. “But at the same time I love you. You are my Jun. Just that you are so hot now.”  
  
“For years I have thought the same about you,” Jun teases, and bites into Sho’s earlobe.   
  
“So is this about revenge?” Sho huffs, but still doesn’t pull away from Jun. He lets himself be pressed against one of the walls, while Jun’s hand wanders down to his crotch.   
  
“Not at all,” Jun says calmly. “No hard feeling towards you.”  
  
Sho grabs his face and pulls him back a bit, looking into Jun’s eyes directly, but there really is no indication that Jun hates him or that he wants to do something bad to him. He doesn’t get it though. Why was he so mean towards them? He basically threatened them to lose their jobs and be totally ridiculed by the whole company. What for?  
  
He has no time to think though as Jun opens the buttons of his trousers and pushes them down.   
  
“Are you really…” Sho blushes while Jun smirks at him and gets down on his knees. Before Sho can even tell what’s happening, he can feel Jun’s hot mouth around his dick, sucking him immediately. He isn’t teasing him at all, probably because they don’t have any time to spare. Sho leans back, biting down on his lips to stop himself from moaning, while he tugs at Jun’s hair.   
  
He comes right at the moment when there is a knock slightly above them. “Is someone stuck in there? It’s probably a technical issue!”  
  
Jun wipes his mouth clean, grinning smugly at Sho. “Two people,” he yells. “We are stuck.”  
  
Sho rolls his eyes, and moves his hand towards Jun’s butt. Jun grabs it before he can squeeze his ass. “Later,” he smirks. “You can think of a way to redo the favour. This is… if you still want to meet on Sunday,” he ends right when the elevator starts moving again.   
  
Sho hurries to get his clothes into place and not to look too red in the face. Meanwhile Jun goes back to reading his newspaper. It’s like nothing even happened when the door opens and a few employees bow at them.  
  
Then Jun disappears into the corridor and Sho has to go his own way, confused and nervous about what just happened.   
  
What happened actually?   
  
He has no idea. Just that Jun blew him in the elevator, and that Sho basically kissed him out of nowhere.  
  
  
~~~  
  
  
“I have a few ideas,” Aiba muses. “But I mean, a photo shoot with L’Arc~en~Ciel is impossible, I guess…”  
  
“It is not,” Nino says casually.   
  
“WHAT!?” Mirei exclaims, her eyes widening. “We have an exclusive interview with them? But how, why? HOW!?”  
  
“Yes,” Sho agrees, forgetting his embarrassing meeting with Jun. “HOW!?”  
  
“Well, someone in this room...” Nino grins and points at himself. “... is a well-known Sony customer who's been dedicated to the company for years, and he just made a few calls to secure himself and his team a great exclusive coverage and an even greater evening.”  
  
Aiba gets pale and red at once. “A photo shoot with… Hyde-sama… I…”  
  
“Hey,” Nino huffs. “If you freak out now, I’ll be really mad.”  
  
“But-“  
  
“Listen, Matsumoto thinks you don’t have it, does he?” Nino exclaims. “But it just so happens that I googled you and saw the pics you made. You have the passion!”  
  
“But the technique…” Aiba mumbles.  
  
“Who the hell cares about the technique if your pictures are great!?”   
  
Sho nods. “He is right, Aiba-san. You have that spark. Your pictures are not perfect technique-wise, but your passion and your unique approach makes them perfect. People get drawn into them. No one even thinks about technique.”  
  
“Don’t see it as a job,” Mirei joins them. “You love photography, don’t you?”  
  
“More than anything else,” Aiba admits. “I've always dreamed of making my living doing this. My grandfather used to love my pictures so much… It means a lot to me to work in this field.”  
  
“See?” Sho smiles. “Don’t think of the job. Think of your grandfather, and how you would have photographed it for him. Or think of our audience. Think of the people who are going to see your pictures. You can even think of Matsumoto-san when you take your photographs, but not as the president but as a human being who’s going to see your pictures.”  
  
Aiba’s eyes shimmer in tears. “Yes,” he says. “I can do it. Thanks for your support, and sorry for being so much work.”  
  
Nino grins. “We are making you pay back once this is over. We need to work together for a while after all.”  
  
“Yes, let’s go for a drink on Saturday evening when we just convinced Matsumoto-san that we can manage this department,” Sho points out.  
  
“Yes,” Aiba exclaims. “Let’s show it to our mean president.”  
  
Mirei sighs. “Unfortunately, he is so hot…”  
  
Sho doesn’t say anything, but he secretly agrees. He is so hot, and probably only half as strict as people think he is. He has heard from other co-workers that Jun is always respectful towards everyone, he never throws a fit like he did with them. So… He just doesn’t understand why Jun is like that towards them. It’s only his team after all. Why?  
  
  
~~~  
  
  
“WHAT!?”   
  
He has never seen Ohno like that, with eyes widened in shock and horror. They have spent three hours together with Toma in a meeting for a new trading company, and it was so boring that at one point Ohno was half-asleep, and Toma started to chat with someone on Facebook on his mobile. Meanwhile Jun was still thinking about his little encounter with Sho. Why did he kiss him so spontaneously? He said, he hated him, but at the same time he loved him. Why, why? And what did it mean?   
  
He has to smile inwardly whenever he thinks of Sho and how blunt he was to defend his department, and how straightforwardly he kissed him. He doesn’t understand it yet, but he knows that if he wants to concentrate on anything related to Sho, he needs to do something else first. “Just forget it, Satoshi,” Jun says casually and hands his old friend a glass with whisky.   
  
“You told me you liked me, and I should forget it?” Ohno takes a huge gulp. “It’s like I played with your feelings.”  
  
“I’m a big boy, Satoshi.” Jun chuckles. “I knew pretty well what we did and how you felt about it. I’m just telling you now because I don’t have a crush on you anymore, and I need to get this out of my system to move on completely.”  
  
“Oh man, Jun, I’m so sorry, and I kept telling you about my love affairs.”  
  
“Satoshi,” Jun grabs his shoulder and squeezes it. “You are a big boy too, so don’t get worked up about it now. The only reason I told you is because you wanted an explanation why I won’t have any of our little lunch meetings anymore. Next time we meet for lunch, we’ll really have lunch.”  
  
“Well.” Ohno smiles softly. “I would happily have lunch with you. Real lunch.” He looks at Jun thoughtfully while he sits down in one of the huge leather seats and sips at his drink. “Any chance you tell me who your love interest is?”  
  
Jun smiles. “I’m not sure if it’s really going to be an interest. But when I figured it out, I’ll tell you. I’ve always been kind of addicted to him.”  
  
“Hm,” Ohno hums. “Sho-san.”  
  
Jun almost spits out his drink in shock. “How did you know?”  
  
“A feeling.” Ohno chuckles. “I’ve not only had sex with you. You are my friend too, remember? If he doesn’t treat you right, tell me and I’ll kick his pretty ass.”  
  
Jun has to smile at that promise. “I will.” But first he has to figure out what Sho really means to him. Well, a lot, because there are the childhood memories. He figures through the way Sho treats his team and how he defends them that he is loyal now. Kiko-san also told him about how he encouraged Aiba, instead of putting pressure on him. The old Sho wouldn’t have done that, because he was only able to see himself.  
  
The new Sho however seems to be able to see his surroundings too.  
  
There is a knock at the door interrupting his thoughts. It has to be Toma or Kiko, or both. “Come in,” he says.   
  
He was right, it’s both of them. Toma bows politely, before he takes a glass with whisky Ohno offers him, while Kiko takes the place next to Ohno. She has adapted to the job fairly well now, and isn’t nervous around Jun at all anymore. In fact she knows how to stand her ground. “We’d like to know if everything is set to go into print tomorrow afternoon?”  
  
“Sure,” Jun nods.   
  
Ohno raises his eyebrows, exchanging a look with Kiko. “Even the Cultural department?”  
  
“Of course,” Jun says, secretly amused over their obvious surprise.   
  
“But…” Toma stutters. “I thought… well…” he obviously doesn’t know how to continue, and Jun decides that this time it’s better not to help him out and instead let the talk die down.  
  
Kiko however chuckles. “I knew it,” she muses, and none of them asks what she knows. A woman’s sixth sense can be scary. When she secretly winks at Jun, he has to hold back a chuckle.  
  
  
~~~  
  
  
Sho watches Jun’s face, he is going through the presented folders in highest concentration, reads through the whole article and takes a look at the photos. Here and there he asks questions. Sho crosses his fingers. If Jun won’t like this work, he is for sure only taking revenge on him or… turned into a mean sadist or…   
  
Mirei is sporting her most professional face, and explains the different approaches of the event, and why they featured it in the cultural spree and not the technical one. Nino does his best to support her.  
  
When they are finished, and Jun has seen it all, it’s quiet all of a sudden. Jun closes the folder and hands it back to Sho. He looks at Nino. “Awesome,” he says.   
  
“What!?” Mirei blurts out angrily. “How can you say something like that-“ She pauses when she hears Nino giggling next to her. “Oh, I thought, you would say it’s horrible,” she stutters.   
  
“Not horrible.” Jun smiles warmly all of a sudden, and finally Sho feels reminded of the old Jun again, the one he used to love so much. His heart jumps happily at that. He knew it, it’s still there. His Macchan is still somewhere, at least a piece of him. “I said it’s awesome. You obviously put a lot of work into it. Keep up the good work.”  
  
“I’ll call the publisher and tell them that we are going into print,” Sho says immediately, letting out a sigh of relief.  
  
“No need to,” Jun grins, and for a moment the others look at him in panic, but the way his eyes glint, Sho knows he has tricked them all.  
  
“You already called them?” Sho asks in disbelief.   
  
“Well, in fact-“ Jun brushes through his hair. “I never cancelled. It’s not my style anyway. I hate to make an example of someone.”  
  
“Damn it,” Nino huffs and chuckles at the same time. “I knew you were up to something. I should have known. I mean, I knew, but I didn’t know what you were scheming. However, I still won,” he says, and grins.   
  
Sho isn’t quite sure what he means, but Jun nods towards Nino. Do these two know each other? Seems like it. “You did.”  
  
“And about me?” Aiba asks curiously.   
  
“Ikuta-san has prepared your contract for you. However as we don’t have many good photographers you might need to jump between the departments occasionally,” Jun explains casually.   
  
Aiba blushes first, then his eyes begin to shine. “You mean…”  
  
“You are pretty skilled,” Jun muses. “I particularly like the series you did about the butterflies and the meadows on your Instagram.”  
  
“Wait a moment,” Aiba’s eyes go wide, then he smiles brightly. “It means you…”  
  
“Yes.” Jun admits.   
  
“You never planned on…”  
  
“No.”  
  
“You only wanted to…”  
  
Jun nods.  
  
“THANK YOU!” Aiba exclaims, and jumps towards Jun to shake his hand. Jun is surprised first, but then he grins, and when Aiba raises his hand, Jun allows him to high-five him.  
  
“Am I the only one who doesn’t get what’s going on?” Sho asks quietly.   
  
“No, I don’t know it either,” Mirei admits.   
  
Nino grins at them. “It’s not that important,” he jokes. “Let’s go for that drink we wanted to have if today was successful.”  
  
“Yes.” Sho finally allows himself to smile happily along with the others. “Let’s have a drink. My treat.”  
  
“Are you coming too?” Aiba asks Jun, much to Sho’s surprise. He seriously wonders what made Aiba change his mind so that he suddenly looks at Jun like he was his personal hero.   
  
“Thank you.” Jun smiles in a friendly way. “Next time, I would like to join you, but I think tonight only belongs to you.”  
  
He is right, Sho thinks, and when they settle down in Mirei’s favourite karaoke bar to sing and drink, he knows he can finally feel relaxed. Aiba is in a particularly good mood. “Matsumoto-san is awesome,” he exclaims once more.   
  
“And so hot,” Mirei giggles. “He complimented me on my new hairstyle before he left. None of you guys even noticed.”  
  
“I know, he is great.” Aiba chirps.  
  
“How come you find him great all of a sudden?” Sho asks curiously, while refilling his cup with sake.  
  
“He knew how to boost my confidence,” Aiba grins. When Sho looks at him in confusion, Aiba chuckles. “No need to explain it to you,” he jokes. “You’ll find out eventually."   
  
Sho drinks and laughs with the others, but all the time there is one part of his mind that thinks about Jun. It’s past midnight, around 2AM when they all go home, and Nino swears that for the next deadlines they won’t be able to make him go out, they’ll have to order pizza and bring it to his place. Aiba promises to buy him pizza anytime, while Mirei tells him not to be too nice to a cranky old guy like Nino.  
  
Sho chuckles, and watches them leave together. He wonders how they’ll do in the future. After all they are so different, with different priorities and different motivations, but he is sure, they’ll manage. After the last few days, they learned to work together as a team.  
  
Which brings his thoughts towards Jun again. And his weird behaviour. The even weirder exchange he had with Nino and Aiba today. And the blow job he gave him in the elevator.   
  
Sho nods to himself, skimming through his phone until he finds the message with Jun’s address that Kiko, Jun’s secretary, sent to him right after they met for the first time. His address is pretty close. Why not drop by?  
  
  
~~~  
  
It only dawns on him that it’s already almost 3AM when he rings Jun’s doorbell. It’s a fancy apartment complex, and he almost feared that the concierge wouldn’t let him in, but once he told him his name, the man nodded.   
  
It’s dark, and the corridors are only half-lit. Sho almost believes that Jun is either deep asleep or not at home, when the door suddenly buzzes and opens. Fancy, Sho has to smile.   
  
Jun is sitting on the sill of his huge panorama window of his even huger penthouse, his feet dangling down. He is wearing no shoes, just a black unbuttoned shirt and simple trousers, eating a cup with instant noodles. “You have no sense of timing,” Jun points out.  
  
He is right, Sho thinks, he really is. He closes the door behind him. “It wasn’t anything against me,” he muses.  
  
“No, in fact I was pretty upset that you were involved in the whole drama. I wished you would have joined one week later.” Jun smiles. “But it’s Sunday, and you came.”  
  
“I came.” Sho smiles and slips out of his shoes. He drops his jacket somewhere and joins Jun on the windowsill. Through the half-buttoned shirt he can see some promising abs. He sneaks a bit closer to touch the presented skin, and to place a kiss on Jun’s forehead. It feels weird to do that, but also natural, and he doesn’t question it.   
  
“I don’t get it,” Sho admits quietly, almost afraid that Jun will laugh at him. But Jun just hands him his cup with instant noodles, and lets Sho eat a few bites.   
  
Jun sighs. “The department was a mess,” he explains. “You basically despised each other. Aiba-san and Nino didn’t get along, and none of you was focused.” He smiles. “Sho-san, Aiba just needed to have a chance to prove to himself that he has got it. He needed someone to piss him off and to question the only thing he was certain about – his dedication and passion. Once I did, he immediately wanted to show me and himself how good he is.”  
  
“And the ultimatum?” Sho stutters, surprised by the previous explanation. It makes sense now, in a weirdly twisted way. But Aiba understood it, it seems, and Jun knew how to push his buttons.  
  
Jun chuckles. “It’s not my style,” he admits. “I never did something like that before, I don’t want to do it again. But we were short on time, and Ikuta-san already wanted to cover the missing pages with a different topic from another department. And Ohno wanted to integrate your department into another one.” Jun shrugs. “Both of it not my style either. So, I needed to make you guys work together.”  
  
“Huh?” Sho blinks in confusion. So, Jun basically saved them in his own weird way?  
  
Jun grins. “Everyone knows that co-workers who hate their boss are working together well.”   
  
Sho is stunned. He stares at Jun while he eats a few bites of the awful instant noodles. “They taste horrible,” he finally stutters.  
  
Jun grins, and takes the cup out of his hands. “Next time I’ll cook something for you. It just so happens that I love cooking. So you might be lucky.”  
  
“So there is a next time?” Sho wants to know.  
  
Jun shrugs. “I don’t know. What do you think?”  
  
Sho grins and sneaks closer. He takes Jun’s face between his fingers, bending forward to kiss his cheek. “I think that one part of my shy Jun is still there, or he wouldn’t ask what I think. I think that I would love to see you again, as long as you quit whatever weird relationship you have with Ninomiya, because I hate to share.”  
  
Jun wraps his arms around Sho’s waist. “I cut all the loose ties,” he says.  
  
“Good.” Sho smirks. “Because I think I still need to redo the favour.”  
  
He can feel how Jun smiles against his face. “I think so too,” he finally admits.


End file.
